System and Method for Location Based Dynamic Redirection of Advertiser Affiliate Links for Online Advertising

ABSTRACT

A system and method is provided for dynamically managing advertiser affiliate links for online marketing. A global redirect server accepts a visitor&#39;s web browser request for a product or non-product webpage associated with an affiliate network advertiser URL, and returns a corresponding product or non-product webpage to the visitor that is corrected for the visitor&#39;s geographic region if such a webpage exists, or returns the originally requested webpage if it does not. The server determines the visitor&#39;s geographic region based upon request metadata, and can generate a corrected webpage that affords analytic and commission tracking even if no corresponding affiliate network exists in the determined geographic region. The server includes a database for locating products within the determined geographic region that are comparable to the product of the product webpage request, in the event that the exact product is not available in the geographic region.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/838,578, filed on Mar. 15, 2013, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/731,383,filed on Dec. 31, 2012, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/547,771, filed on Jul. 12, 2012, which claimsthe benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/617,857,filed on Mar. 30, 2012, each of which are incorporated herein byreference for all purposes.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to electronic commerce, and inparticular, to an affiliate link generation system for use in onlinemarketing and sales.

2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37CFR 1.97 and 1.98

With the rapid evolution of technology in recent years, there has been agrowing trend toward online publishing, by businesses, such as onlinemagazine publishers, as well as by individuals, such as personalbloggers. These online publishers frequently review and publishcommentary on a variety of products on their web site and via 3^(rd)party online social networking sites. Accordingly, online marketing hasevolved to include awarding commission to web site operators on salesmade to consumers who have arrived at an affiliate's web site through atracked link on the web site operator's web site.

Typically, web site operators are limited to earning commissions onproducts supported by a particular external affiliate network for whichthey can obtain an existing affiliate link. Moreover, these affiliatenetworks require the use of certain technology, which excludes users notemploying the requisite technology.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention described herein includes as an embodiment a system fordynamic management of advertiser affiliate links for online marketing,the system comprising: a computerized global redirect server in networkcommunication with a web browser on a visitor computer, the globalredirect server adapted to accept a request from the web browser thatincludes an affiliate network advertiser URL, and to return a webpageassociated with the affiliate network advertiser URL that is correctedfor the visitor's geographic region. Other embodiments includeadditional elements as claimed and discussed herein.

The invention described herein also includes as an embodiment a methodfor dynamic management of advertiser affiliate links for onlinemarketing, the method steps comprising: providing a network connectedglobal redirect server adapted to accept requests from a visitor's webbrowser; accepting a request from the web browser for an advertiserwebpage associated with an affiliate network advertiser URL; determiningthe visitor's geographic region based upon metadata supplied with theaccepted request; and returning to the web browser a webpage associatedwith the affiliate network advertiser URL that is corrected for thedetermined geographic region. Other embodiments include additionalelements as claimed and discussed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The present invention will be more fully understood by reference to thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer environment for implementing anaffiliate link generation system and regional redirect system inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a relationship diagram highlighting the basic relationshipconnections among various elements that enable online sales utilizingthe embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a somewhat simplified flow diagram illustrating a method ofgenerating an affiliate link in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram depicting steps taken by the embodiment tofacilitate automatic creation of an affiliate network advertiser linkURL;

FIG. 5A depicts the syntax of a typical affiliate network advertiserlink URL exemplar for fictional affiliate network“AffiliateNetwork1.com,” highlighting additional variables andplaceholders utilized by redirection scripts;

FIG. 5B depicts the syntax of a typical affiliate network advertiserlink URL exemplar for fictional affiliate network“AffiliateNetwork2.com,” highlighting additional variables andplaceholders utilized by redirection scripts;

FIG. 5C depicts the syntax of a typical affiliate network advertiserlink URL exemplar for fictional affiliate network“AffiliateNetwork3.com,” highlighting additional variables andplaceholders utilized by redirection scripts;

FIG. 5D depicts the syntax of a typical affiliate network advertiserlink URL exemplar for fictional affiliate network“AffiliateNetwork4.com,” highlighting additional variables andplaceholders utilized by redirection scripts;

FIG. 6A depicts the parsed syntax of the affiliate network advertiserURL exemplar for fictional affiliate network “AffiliateNetwork1.com,”highlighting the various identified parameters;

FIG. 6B depicts the parsed syntax of the affiliate network advertiserURL exemplar for fictional affiliate network “AffiliateNetwork2.com,”highlighting the various identified parameters;

FIG. 6C depicts the parsed syntax of the affiliate network advertiserURL exemplar for fictional affiliate network “AffiliateNetwork3.com,”highlighting the various identified parameters;

FIG. 6D depicts the parsed syntax of the affiliate network advertiserURL exemplar for fictional affiliate network “AffiliateNetwork4.com,”highlighting the various identified parameters;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram depicting steps taken by the embodiment todynamically create an affiliate network advertiser link URL;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram depicting steps taken by an embodiment indetermining the proper affiliate network advertiser URL to redirect thevisitor/consumer to the proper online advertiser regional site basedupon the visitor/consumer's physical location;

FIG. 9 depicts a screen image of a user interface for allowing aregistered publisher access to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 depicts a screen image of a user interface to allow thepublisher to manipulate stored publisher data;

FIG. 11 depicts a screen image of a user interface that presents thepublisher a listing of the products stored within the system database,along with each product's associated estimated commission rate;

FIG. 12 depicts a screen image of a user interface presenting thepublisher with a summary of the amount of commissions generated throughtransactions facilitated by affiliate network advertiser links createdin addition to affiliate network advertiser links available in affiliatenetwork inventory databases and provided by the embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 13 depicts a screen image of a user interface presenting thepublisher with analytics involving the publisher's use of an affiliatenetwork advertiser URL in addition to affiliate network advertiser linksavailable in the affiliate network's inventory database;

FIG. 14 depicts a screen image of a user interface presenting thepublisher with widget apps utilizing the affiliate network advertiserlink URL in addition to affiliate network advertiser links available inthe affiliate network's inventory database, and made available by thesystem of the present embodiment;

FIG. 15 depicts a screen image of a user interface presenting thepublisher with a bookmarking tool to facilitate automatic creation ofthe affiliate network advertiser link URL in addition to affiliatenetwork advertiser links available in the affiliate network's inventorydatabase;

FIG. 16 depicts a screen image of an advertiser affiliate productwebpage belonging to an advertiser affiliate that is a member of anaffiliate network that is accessible by the system of the presentembodiment;

FIG. 17 depicts a screen image of a user interface message box notifyingthe publisher that the advertiser affiliate webpage contains productinformation and that a record exists in the system database;

FIG. 18 depicts a screen image of a user interface message box notifyingthe publisher that the advertiser affiliate webpage is a non-productpage for purposes of affiliate network advertiser link creation;

FIG. 19 depicts a screen image of a user interface message box notifyingthe publisher that the advertiser affiliate product webpage informationdoes not exist in the system database, further requesting input from thepublisher regarding image selection for a new database record;

FIG. 20 depicts a screen image of a user interface message box notifyingthe publisher that the product webpage information has been scraped andis prepared for addition to the database along with the publisher-chosenproduct image;

FIG. 21 depicts a screen image of a user interface message box notifyingthe publisher that the current advertiser product website is not amember of an associated affiliate network; and

FIG. 22 depicts a typical publisher blog utilizing the widget apps in anHTML document publication.

The above figures are provided for the purpose of illustration anddescription only, and are not intended to define the limits of thedisclosed invention. Use of the same reference number in multiplefigures is intended to designate the same or similar parts. Furthermore,if the terms “top,” “bottom,” “first,” “second,” “upper,” “lower,”“height,” “width,” “length,” “end,” “side,” “horizontal,” “vertical,”and similar terms are used herein, it should be understood that theseterms have reference only to the structure shown in the drawing and areutilized only to facilitate describing the particular embodiment. Theextension of the figures with respect to number, position, relationship,and dimensions of the parts to form the preferred embodiment will beexplained or will be within the skill of one having ordinary skill inthe art to which the invention pertains after the following teachings ofthe present invention have been read and understood.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

As used herein, the term “computer readable medium” means any tangibleportable or fixed RAM or ROM device, such as portable flash memory, aCDROM, a DVDROM, embedded RAM or ROM integrated circuit devices, or thelike.

As used herein, the term “affiliate network advertiser link” and“affiliate link” mean URLs that point (i.e., link) to a website'sspecific page or subpage (a “deep link”), or to a website's homepagethrough which a visitor's analytics are tracked. For example, it ispossible to create an “affiliate network advertiser link” or “affiliatelink” to an advertiser affiliate's home or main webpage, or to anadvertiser affiliate's product webpage, and any activity includingproduct purchases are tracked and recorded.

The present disclosure generally provides a system and method ofgenerating affiliate links. More particularly, the present disclosureprovides a system and method of aggregating and integrating affiliatelinks from external affiliate network databases, as well as dynamicallygenerating links for affiliate webpages not located in existing externalaffiliate network databases.

FIG. 1 generally illustrates an affiliate link generation and managementsystem 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Itshould be understood that the system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is forillustrative purposes only and that any other suitable system orsubsystem could be used in conjunction with or in lieu of system 100according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

The system 100 allows an online publisher 140 to communicate andinteract with link generation server 120 through a communicationsnetwork 160. The communications network 160 can be any network capableof supporting the transmission of packetized digital data. For example,the network can be a PAN, LAN, CAN, MAN, WAN, or the like, or somecombination thereof. Moreover, connections to said network can be wiredor wireless.

The link generation server 120 may generally include a computer systemhaving a memory 122, at least one processor 128, and a communicationmember 130. Each element of the link generation server 120 is coupled tobus 132 or other communication mechanism for relaying information.

Memory 122 comprises both random access memory (RAM) and read-onlymemory (ROM). Memory 122 may be employed to store program information,instructions to be executed by processor 128, and temporary informationduring execution of instructions by processor 128.

Within memory 122 reside operating system 124 and link generationmanager 126. Operating system 124 may be employed as a software platformupon which the affiliate link generation application programs mayexecute. Link generation manager 126 may generally include programinstruction sequences for generating affiliate links for affiliateWebpages.

Processor 128 may be employed to execute the program instructions thatare stored by memory 122. Processor 128 is capable of identifying andmonitoring each online publisher 140 as well as communicating with eachonline publisher 140 via communications member 130 and communicationsnetwork 160.

Communication member 130 comprises conventional hardware and softwarethat facilitates coupling link generation server 120 to communicationsnetwork 160.

In an embodiment, link generation server 120 is coupled to a database180. Link generation server 120 may store information associated withadvertising affiliate Webpages in the database 180. Affiliate Webpageinformation stored in database 180 may be derived from advertisingaffiliate sources 170, external affiliate network sources 172, othersuitable sources, or any combination thereof. Information stored indatabase 180 may include affiliate product webpages, affiliatenon-product webpages, product commissions, affiliate links if available,product descriptions, advertiser commission rates, product options,product prices, and product pictures, or any other suitable affiliateWebpage information. Link generation server 120 may also storeinformation corresponding to each online publisher 140, such as names,addresses, phone numbers, commission account information, or any othersuitable online publisher information, in the database 180.

Online publishers 140 obtain affiliate network advertiser linksgenerated by link generation server 120 by communicating with linkgeneration server 120 through communications network 160. Onlinepublishers 140 may be located in any geographical location accessible bythe communications network 160. Likewise, advertising affiliates 170 andaffiliate networks 172 communicate with the link generation server 120through communications network 160, and may also be located in anysuitable geographic location accessible by the communications network160.

Each online publisher 140 may generally include at least one display142, to view affiliate Webpages and associated information, and at leastone input device 144, to communicate with link generation server 120.For example, online publisher 140 may communicate over the network 160using a standard web browser (e.g., Safari, Internet Explorer) or usinga dedicated user interface program that is operable from a computingdevice, for example, a handheld networked device, a networked desktopcomputer, a networked kiosk, a tablet computer, or the like.

Link generation server 120 may also communicate link generationinformation to interested parties 150. Link generation information mayinclude the Webpage, product name, product webpage and online publisherinformation. Interested parties 150 may include affiliates,representatives of affiliates, marketing consultants, external affiliatenetworks, other parties interested in link generation data, or anycombination thereof.

Each interested party 150 may generally include at least one display152, to view link generation data, and at least one input device 154, tocommunicate with link generation server 120 in a fashion similar to thatof a publisher.

Any of displays 142 and/or displays 152 may be a mobile phone screen,liquid crystal display (LCD), light emitting diode screen (LED), plasmascreen, cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor, high definition television(HDTV) screen, conventional television screen, projection televisionscreen, video conferencing display, other suitable display, or anycombination thereof.

Any of input devices 144 and/or input devices 154 may be an alphanumerickeyboard, mouse, trackball, cursor direction keys, touch pad, Touch Tonetelephone, wireless telephone, two-way pager, personal digitalassistant, voice recognition device, other suitable data input device,or any combination thereof.

The present disclosure is related to the use of link generation server120 to dynamically generate affiliate links, as described herein.According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, execution of theinstructions stored in memory 122 allows processor 128 to implement thefunctionality described above.

In one embodiment, the core technology used is HTML, CSS, JavaScript onthe client facing components of the tool and PHP, Apache, MySQL on theserver side. The client part also employs third party JavaScriptlibraries such as JQuery and easyXDM. One of ordinary skill in the artto which the invention applies will appreciate that such programminglanguages are commonly known and understood and, as such, require nofurther description herein. The server part also relies on database 180with records of products provided by affiliate networks. By way ofexample but not limitation, current third party affiliate networksinclude Commission Junction, Linkshare, PepperJam, Google AffiliateNetwork, and various others. Again, one of ordinary skill in the artwill understand and appreciate the operation and utilization of suchaffiliate networks with regard to online transactions and, as such, nofurther description herein is required.

In alternative embodiments, hardware circuitry may be used inconjunction with or in lieu of software instructions to implement thepresent disclosure. However, the present disclosure is not limited toany specific combination of hardware circuitry and/or software.

The global redirect server 110 may generally include or utilize the samecomponents as the link generation server 120, namely a processor 112operating with a memory 114 component where the resident operatingsystem 116 executes stored program instructions as a software platformupon which the global redirect application programs may execute. Theglobal redirect manager 118 may generally include stored programinstruction sequences for performing the disclosed program steps toautomatically redirect a user to a regionally appropriate advertiseraffiliate webpage. The global redirect server 110 utilizes the same linkdatabase 180 data for performing redirects. Data stored in the database180 includes advertiser information, products available from theadvertiser, product data (e.g., name, product image URL, SKU, brands,styles, sizes, colors, etc.), advertising region information for theadvertiser and associated products, affiliate network advertiser links,and the like. Such data may be utilized to locate matching or comparableproducts over different advertising regions and/or differentadvertisers.

The communication member 119 allows an interested party 150, which inthis case would be a visitor of a publisher's 140 blog, to select a URLlink provided by a publisher 140 and to automatically access the globalredirect server system 110. The global redirect server 110 may considerweb browser metadata and/or visitor's IP address regarding the visitor'sgeographic location when determining whether it is necessary to redirectthe visitor to an advertiser affiliate webpage more appropriate to thevisitor's location. In the situation in which the visitor has selected apublished advertised affiliate network advertiser URL link, the globalredirect server 110 accesses the advertiser's affiliate networkadvertiser URL link information stored on the database to makedeterminations as to whether the same product is available on anotheraffiliate network in the visitor's geographic location. In addition toproduct data, additional product and advertiser metadata is alsoavailable from the database 180.

FIG. 2 depicts a relationship diagram highlighting the basicrelationship connections among various elements that enable online salesutilizing the embodiments of the present disclosure. As depicted,product designers and manufacturers 202 have relationships with onlineretailers (or advertising affiliates) 170, who market and oftentimessell the designer/manufacturer 202 products. Relationships here may bevaried. For example, a clothing designer 212 might have an exclusiverelationship with a single advertising affiliate 214, while a handbagdesigner 218 might have relationships with multiple advertisingaffiliates (214 and 216).

Likewise, advertising affiliates 170 maintain relationships withaffiliate networks 172, with some affiliates 170 having different levelsof relationships with different affiliate networks 172. In general,retailers 170 typically have exclusive agreements with a particularaffiliate network 172, allowing the affiliate network to handle itsaffiliate advertisements exclusively. However, other retailers 170 maymaintain this exclusivity with a given affiliate network 172 by region,having multiple networks/regions. For example, a particular affiliate214 might have stores in North America, Asia, and Europe; with the NorthAmerican region represented by one affiliate network 226, the Asiaregion represented by another affiliate network 224, and the Europeregion represented by yet another affiliate network 220. Differentregions may have different product offerings, and while some productsfrom a particular affiliate 170 may be available over multiple regionsother products may only be available in a single region. The structureand interoperation of these relationships is well understood by one ofordinary skill in the relevant art and requires no additionalexplanation.

The link generation server 120 may also be registered with any number ofaffiliate networks 172. It is well understood that affiliate networks172 provide affiliate network advertiser links to advertising affiliate170 product webpages. Such affiliate network advertiser links allow forefficient tracking of online transactions related to affiliate networkadvertiser-linked products, which allows for the gathering of associatedmetrics for analytical and compensation purposes. For example, anaffiliate network 172 can track metrics including page views, purchases,click-throughs, etc., for subsequent use in determining productpopularity, inventory needs, demographic and geographic concentrations,etc. Tracking is possible because of the use of web browser cookies inconjunction with the affiliate network advertiser link syntax, whichprovides a link that when clicked on by a visitor redirects thevisitor's browser through the affiliate network 172 servers and on tothe affiliate 170 server where the product offering may be viewed.

However, because products and product availability frequently change,not every designer/manufacturer 202 product is present in the affiliatenetworks as an affiliate network advertiser link. For that reason, thelink generation server 120 maintains relationships 224 directly withonline retailers to allow for the dynamic creation of affiliate networkaffiliate network advertiser link URLs that function in substantiallythe same capacity as affiliate network 172 provided affiliate networkadvertiser links. These dynamically created affiliate network advertiserlink URLs redirect a visitor through the link generation server 120, anaffiliate network 172, and onto an advertiser affiliate 170 webpage.Thus, tracking may occur at each point. The dynamically createdaffiliate network advertiser link URLs are provided to any number ofpublishers 140 for embedding of the link in a blog, posting, tweet, orany other online form of communication in which hyperlinks and webpageredirects may be utilized. Casual online visitors (for example, Internetusers) typically access a publisher's embedded affiliate networkadvertiser link when, for example, the visitor encounters the embeddedaffiliate network advertiser link in the publisher's blog posting. Usingcommon page redirects, cookies, and the like the link generation server120 tracks the visitor's request and transaction through an affiliatenetwork 172 and onto an affiliate 170 webpage. Because the linkgeneration server 120 maintains relationships with a plurality ofaffiliate networks 120, it is possible for the link generation server120 to provide and track more affiliate network advertiser links thanthe sum total of the affiliate networks 172 combined. Moreover, becausethe link generation server 120 algorithms allow affiliate networkadvertiser link URL creation regardless of an affiliate network's 172affiliate network advertiser link syntax, it is possible for publishersto utilize the link generation server 120 to access any affiliatenetwork 172 through a single hyperlink, either shortened or notshortened, without concern for the affiliate network advertiser linksyntax. Thus, the operation of the link generation server 120 provides apublisher with consistent single source of affiliate network advertiserlink URLs irrespective of the number of different affiliate networksthat are involved. When shortened the affiliate network advertiser linkURL includes no direct visual indication regarding the affiliate networkto which the advertiser belongs.

In yet another embodiment is the arrangement in which the linkgeneration server 120 is hosted directly on or by an affiliate network172 server. In this embodiment an affiliate network 172 may haveexclusive agreements with particular online retailers 170, and may stilldynamically generate affiliate network advertiser URLs for affiliateswhen the affiliate network does not have an exclusive agreement. Forexample, consider that the affiliate network 226 has an exclusiveagreement with two online retailers 214 and 222. The affiliate network226 may still provide dynamic affiliate network advertiser URL links toproducts offered by third party retailer 216 (and others) by using thelink generation server described herein. One of ordinary skill willappreciate that given the modular nature of the computer system hardwareupon which the system described herein operates, such an arrangement isinherent in the previous embodiments as disclosed and described.

FIG. 3 is a somewhat simplified flow diagram illustrating method ofgenerating affiliate links according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. It should be understood that method shown in this figure isfor illustrative purposes only and that any other suitable method orsub-method could be used in conjunction with or in lieu of the methodaccording to an embodiment of the invention disclosed herein. It shouldalso be understood that the steps of the method could be performed inany suitable order or manner unless specified otherwise.

In an embodiment, the method begins in step 302 with a publisheridentifying an advertiser affiliate 170 webpage to integrate into thepublisher's web post using online publisher 140 by clicking a systemactivator bookmarking button (i.e., a browser application, for example,a bookmark application or “bookmarklet”) located on the bookmark bar onthe online publisher's 140 web browser that executes an initializationJavaScript. The bookmarklet allows the JavaScript to be stored as theURL of a bookmark in the publisher's browser, to be activated by thepublisher's user interface device (“mouse”) click. The use of abookmarklet allows the system to mask the complexity of the underlyinglink generation server 120 operation from the publisher.

The online publisher's 140 web browser then communicates the informationto link generation server 120 by issuing a GET request through thecommunications network 160 using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, infrared, textmessage, email, bump technology or by any other suitable manner, asshown in step 304. In another embodiment the publisher's 140 computingdevice utilizes a dedicated graphical user interface having menu barbuttons that provide similar connectivity.

Link generation manager 126 then analyzes and performs initialassessments of the affiliate webpage to extract webpage information, asshown in step 306.

In step 308, link generation manager 126 determines if the extractedwebpage information in step 306 matches webpage information stored inone or more records in the system database device 180.

If link generation manager 126 determines the extracted webpageinformation matches webpage information stored in the database 180, thelink generation server 120 returns the record of the webpage to onlinepublisher 140 browser, as shown in step 310. This record includeswebpage information and a related affiliate network advertiser link URL.If the webpage information stored in database 180 contains detailedproduct information, link generation server 120 will either display theproduct picture on the publisher's 140 display 142 or prompt thepublisher to select a product picture through the input 144 means. Inone embodiment, the product picture is displayed as a result of parsing(scraping) the parent HTML document (product webpage) and finding animage.

In this embodiment the link generation server 120 will then create aloader inline frame (“iframe”) that creates a final iframe containingthe scraped webpage information and the affiliate link. Link generationserver 120 will communicate the webpage information and the networkaffiliate advertiser link URL to the online publisher 140, as shown instep 312. Given the excessive length of the typical affiliate networkadvertiser link URL (see FIG. 5), the link generation server may providethe publisher, instead, with a shortened link that the system uses toaccess the full link. The publisher may then copy and paste the networkaffiliate network advertiser link URL (shortened link) to a blog post orother online publication. In another embodiment the affiliate networkadvertiser link URL is not shortened, but is provided in full length tothe publisher.

Frames allow a visual HTML Browser window to be split into segments,each of which may show a different document. An iframe places yetanother HTML document in a frame inside the original parent document.Unlike an object element, an inline frame can be the “target” frame forlinks defined by other elements and can be selected by the publisher asthe focus for printing or viewing its source.

In one embodiment, communication between the JavaScript attached to theparent page and the iframe is implemented with the use of easyXDM.EasyXDM is a JavaScript library that enables a system to easily workaround the limitation set in place by the Same Origin Policy, in turnmaking it easy to communicate and expose the JavaScript ApplicationProgramming Interface (API) across domain boundaries. EasyXDM provides atransport stack capable of passing string-based messages between theconsumer and the provider. The transport stack offers bi-directionality,reliability, queuing and sender-verification and does not violatebrowser security policy since the connection is only established onceand only simple plain text messages can be sent across the frames. Theone-time connection setup is enforced by easyXDM library to lock theconnection down to avoid spoofing attacks. One of ordinary skill in theart will appreciate and understand that the use of iframes is aprogramming implementation choice for the aforementioned reasons. Otherembodiments may utilize less secure commonly understood socket-basedcommunications means for passing product information and affiliatenetwork advertiser URL links to a publisher's web browser if security isnot a concern.

If link generation manager 126 determines the extracted webpageinformation does not match webpage information stored in the database180 (i.e., no record exists), the link generation server 120 will returna message indicating the webpage was not found and presenting a requestfor additional webpage-related information from the publisher throughdisplay 142, as shown in step 314.

In step 316, link generation server 120 will scrape (parse) the webpagedata to determine if product information may be ascertained. One ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate and understand that theprocess of scraping a webpage for information is commonly understood andpracticed.

If link generation server 120 ascertains product information from thescraped webpage, link generation server 120 will create a new record ofthe product and compile at least a relevant portion of the record'smetadata from the scraped webpage, as shown in step 318.

In step 320, link generation server 120 will dynamically create anadvertiser affiliate link for the webpage.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram depicting steps taken by the embodiment tofacilitate automatic creation of an affiliate network advertiser linkURL in the embodiment. To begin, the link generation server 120processor obtains at least one affiliate network advertiser link URLexemplar for each advertiser from each of the affiliate networks 172with which it maintains a relationship, as shown in step 402. Because ofthe lack of standardization, the elements chosen by a given affiliatenetwork to encode its affiliate network advertiser link URL may varyfrom other affiliate networks. As such, it is necessary to considereach. Each exemplar is then parsed by the link generation server 120 todetermine the exact syntax chosen by a given affiliate network 172, asshown in step 404. The affiliate networks 172 also make available theadvertiser ID's that are unique to the advertiser affiliate 170 members.Because each affiliate network 172 has multiple affiliate 170 memberadvertisers, the processing iterates through the listing, as shown instep 408. By parsing a plurality of affiliate network advertiser linkURL exemplars it is possible to determine which portions of the linkremain consistent between advertiser affiliates (the affiliate networkadvertiser link URL syntax), which portion reflects the advertiser ID,and which portion reflects the advertiser webpage URL data. Likewise,because the link generation server maintains relationships with multipleaffiliate networks 172, it is necessary to iterate through eachadvertiser on each affiliate network to obtain the advertiser ID's foreach advertiser, as shown in step 410, to ensure complete coverage. Oncethe link generation server learns of the affiliate network 172advertiser link URL syntax and the affiliate 170 member advertiser ID's,it retains this information for subsequent dynamic affiliate linkcreation. To ensure that this information remains fresh, the system mayalso periodically perform this affiliate network advertiser link URLexemplar analysis on a predetermined schedule, for example, daily, as instep 414. Further, because advertiser affiliates 170 often change, whichresults in a change in the advertiser ID's supported by a givenaffiliate network 172, it may be desirable to perform a periodic refreshof the advertiser ID's as in step 416. In the embodiment in which thelink generation server 120 is hosted by an affiliate network, the linkgeneration server 120 still obtains the same advertiser link URLexemplars as above from the affiliate networks 172 with which itmaintains a relationship. Thus, this embodiment understands not only itsown affiliate network advertiser URLs, but also the syntax necessary torecreate other affiliate network 172 advertiser link URLs.

FIG. 5 depicts the syntax of a few typical affiliate network advertiserlink URL exemplars, while FIG. 6 depicts the resulting parsed syntax,highlighting the various renamed parameters as variables for the linkgeneration server 120 to populate. A shown in FIG. 5A, the affiliatenetwork advertiser link begins with the URL of the affiliate network 502(in this instance, “AffiliateNetwork1.com”) and includes additionalvariables and placeholders utilized by its redirect scripts. Within thisstring of variables is the advertiser ID 504 followed by additionalredirect variables 506 and finally, the advertiser webpage URL 508. FIG.6A depicts the results. As shown, the link generation server 120 recordsthe affiliate network advertiser link URL and necessary variables andplaceholders 502 and 506, and isolates an advertiser ID parameter 602and advertiser webpage URL parameter 604 for subsequent substitutionduring dynamic affiliate network advertiser link creation.

FIG. 5B depicts yet another affiliate network advertiser link URLexemplar. The link generation server 120 parses the URL text to isolatethe affiliate network URL 502 (in this instance, “AffiliateNetwork2”),the advertiser ID 504, the additional redirect variables 506, and theadvertiser webpage URL 508. The resulting affiliate network advertiserlink URL syntax is shown in FIG. 6B, which again provides for anadvertiser ID parameter 602 and advertiser webpage URL parameter 604.The link generation server 120 substitutes an advertiser ID andadvertiser URL for these parameters during affiliate network advertiserlink creation for this affiliate network.

FIG. 5C depicts a affiliate network advertiser link URL exemplar fromthe “AffiliateNetwork3” affiliate network, which utilizes an evengreater amount of information with its affiliate network advertiser linkURLs. In addition to the affiliate network URL 502, the advertiser ID504, additional redirect variables 506, and the advertiser webpage URL508, this affiliate network attaches the publisher ID 510. The resultingsyntax of 6C shows the addition of the publisher ID 510 appended to theadvertiser webpage URL parameter 604. The link generation server knowsthe publisher ID based upon the publisher's user account information.

FIG. 5D depicts a affiliate network advertiser link URL exemplar fromthe “AffiliateNetwork4” affiliate network. As shown, this exemplarincludes the affiliate network URL 502, the advertiser ID 504,additional redirect variables 506, and the advertiser webpage URL 508like the others. However, the advertiser webpage URL includes additionalbrackets that frame the webpage link data. Accordingly, the resultingsyntax includes the advertiser ID 602 and advertiser webpage URLparameter 604 as before, along with the extra bracket characters asdepicted in FIG. 6D.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram depicting steps taken by the embodiment todynamically create an affiliate network advertiser link URL after theexemplar syntax is obtained. When necessary to create an affiliatenetwork advertiser link URL (i.e., the publisher identified webpage isnew and no affiliate network 172 page data exists), the link generationserver 120 processing obtains the chosen affiliate network's exemplarinformation regarding the previously identified advertiser ID 602 andadvertiser URL parameter 604, as shown in step 702. The advertiser IDassociated with the webpage's advertiser affiliate 170 is also obtained(step 704) along with the affiliate's advertiser webpage URL (step 706)and this information is substituted for the advertiser ID parameter 602and advertiser URL parameter 604 to form the affiliate networkadvertiser link URL (step 708). This dynamically formed affiliatenetwork advertiser link is then provided to the publisher's web browser(step 712) as previously mentioned (typically in the form of a shortenedlink, but possibly in the form of a standard link) and saved in thesystem database (step 710) along with the advertiser webpage data (step714) if necessary or desirable, which may contain product and advertiserrelated data. In the situation in which the publisher requests anaffiliate network advertiser link to an advertiser's homepage ornon-product webpage as opposed to a particular advertised productwebpage, the advertiser's homepage or non-product webpage URL is used asthe advertiser URL parameter 604.

Referring once again to FIG. 3, in step 322, the new record of thewebpage and affiliate link dynamically created in step 320 will be addedto database 180 for use by a plurality of online publishers 140. Thelink generation server 120 may share this dynamically created affiliatelink with the affiliate network 172 or it may be retained for use solelyby the link generation server 120 system in its communications withpublishers 140. This pass-through of the page redirects to a givenadvertiser affiliate's advertiser webpage allows the link generationserver 120 and the affiliate network 172 to track web metrics associatedwith transactions involving the dynamically created affiliate networkadvertiser link.

If the link generation server 120 ascertains that product informationcannot be scraped from the webpage (i.e., no identifiable productinformation exists), link generation server 120 will prompt thepublisher to confirm creation of a non-product webpage affiliate link,as shown in step 324. If the publisher confirms creation of anon-product page affiliate link, link generation server 120 will createa new record of the webpage and compile the record's metadata from thescraped non-product Webpage, as shown in step 326.

In step 328, link generation server 120 will dynamically create anaffiliate network advertiser link for the webpage as previouslydescribed.

In step 330, the new record of the webpage and affiliate linkdynamically created in step 320 will be added to database 180 for use bya plurality of online publishers 140.

If the publisher does not confirm creation of a non-product pageaffiliate link, link generation server 120 will return the publisher tothe browser screen, as shown in step 332, and no affiliate link will becreated.

Again, as previously discussed using FIG. 3, advertisers 170 may haverelationships with multiple affiliate networks 172, with each network172 handling a particular region of commerce. For example, one suchadvertiser might have stores in the United States and in Europe, withone affiliate network (“network1”) handling its online product salesaffiliate tracking and publishers relationships in the U.S. region andanother affiliate network (“network2”) handling its online product salesaffiliate tracking and publisher relationships in the European region.Thus, ideally, purchase inquiries originating from the U.S. should beproperly handled by network1 while purchase inquiries originating fromEurope should be properly handled by network2. In reality, however,publishers are able to browse for and link directly (i.e. without theuse of affiliate links) to product offerings across all advertisingregions and website visitors are able to visit all advertising regionsfor a given online retailer because of the global reach of the Internet.Thus, a publisher in France might locate and link to a particular pairof shoes discovered while browsing a U.S. advertiser's website, wherethe shoes are available in the U.S. and France and handled by twodifferent affiliate networks. If a publisher publishes an affiliate linkonline using this U.S. advertiser link and a visitor purchases theseshoes on the US website through a U.S. affiliate network regional link,tracking will remain intact and the publisher will earn a commission. Ifvisitor adjusts the advertiser website settings to be routed to a Frenchwebsite in order to purchase the shoes, the affiliate network handlingU.S. website region will not be able to track analytics and conversionson the French website. In the absence of a geographic based affiliatenetwork redirect system visitors to advertiser's website through apublisher's U.S. affiliate network advertiser URL link originating fromFrance will be directed to the French website and all tracking willcease due to incompatible product/affiliate network advertiser linkURLs, rendering all analytics and potential commission earnings topublisher lost. Another embodiment of the system provides a clean methodfor handling such scenarios to ensure cross network/geography analyticsand conversions tracking

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram depicting steps taken by this other embodimentin determining the proper online advertiser regional site to which toredirect the visitor/consumer based upon the selected regional affiliatenetwork advertiser link URL and the visitor/consumer's physicallocation, while maintaining proper URL syntax to ensure analytics andany conversions are properly tracked, commissionable, and payable topublisher. As shown, once the visitor/consumer submits a request tovisit an advertiser URL by “clicking” on a published affiliate networkadvertiser link, the global redirect system server 110 obtains therequesting web browser's IP address 802 among other metadata regardingthe requesting browser. The region in which the visitor/consumer residesmay then be determined by performing a lookup on an available Internetor other domain name server (DNS) using the browser's IP address 804and/or other such metadata. Once the visitor's (or consumer's) region isdetermined, the global redirect system 110 queries the database 180 tolocate an affiliate network over which the requested advertiser URL isavailable 806. If the requested advertiser URL is from an affiliatenetwork that is located within the requestor's region 808, the visitoris directed to the requested advertiser URL webpage through the originalaffiliate network advertiser link 810. If, however, the requestedadvertiser URL is from an affiliate network that is located outside ofthe requestor's region, the system queries the database 180 data for amatch to the requested advertiser product or webpage URL on one or moreaffiliate networks in the requestor's region 812. If an associatedcomparable match is located, the visitor is automatically directed tothe matching affiliate network advertiser webpage URL in the requestor'sregion 814. If, however, no such match is located, the system directsthe visitor to the affiliate network advertiser webpage URL from theaffiliate network associated with the original request 816. Aspreviously indicated, the affiliate network advertiser webpage URL maybe an advertised product webpage (with accompanying product data), ormay be an advertiser's non-product webpage. Data regarding the directionand/or redirection is maintained in the database 180 to allow foraccurate analytics and conversion tracking.

Various embodiments of the user interface for access to the systemdescribed herein are possible. For example, FIG. 9 depicts a screenimage of a user interface for allowing a registered publisher access tothe embodiment of the present disclosure. A publisher 140 creates anaccount to access the link generation server 120 system. Secure sign-in902 allows the publisher to gain access to the system's fullcapabilities. Once logged-in to the system the publisher is presentedwith the option to edit its account information. FIG. 10 depicts ascreen image of a user interface to allow the publisher to manipulatestored publisher account data 1002. Basic information includes name,contact information, blog information, and escrow service accountinformation for the handling of commissions generated through linktransactions.

FIG. 11 depicts a screen image of a user interface that allows thepublisher to perform a search of the products stored within the systemdatabase. As shown, link generation server 120 product records arearranged and presented based upon metrics gathered by the server 120.For example, a publisher may filter the product records based upon salescount 1102, popularity 1104, designer name 1106, or may even maintain alist of personal favorites 1108. Thus, through this interface apublisher 140 can review the products based upon the desired criteria,determine the approximate commission each advertiser offers for thegiven product, and obtain affiliate network advertiser link URLs forproducts directly from this page for posting on a blog. Use of thisinterface provides convenience for a publisher as it precludes the needto visit numerous advertiser affiliate 170 websites in search ofproducts to post.

Various advertisers offer commissions for sales of their products, orfor various transactions associated with the products. By facilitating atransaction, a publisher may earn at least a portion of the commissionfrom the advertiser, with a portion shared with the link generationserver and the affiliate network if involved as well. A listing ofsupported advertisers is also provided by the system to allow apublisher to focus its consideration on supported advertiser affiliatesonly.

Over time a publisher that is publishing affiliate network advertiserlink URLs provided by the present embodiment will earn commissions ontransactions related to the URLs. FIG. 12 depicts a screen image of auser interface presenting the publisher with a summary of the amount ofcommissions generated through transactions 1202 facilitated by affiliatelinks created and provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure.

As mentioned previously, the primary reason for the affiliate networkadvertiser link creation of products and non-product webpages is toallow the collection of web metrics concerning products, producttransactions, and casual visitor behaviors with regard to same. FIG. 13depicts a screen image of a user interface presenting the publisher withhistorical network analytics involving the publisher's use of anaffiliate network advertiser link URL 1302. This information allows apublisher to consider the worth of each of the affiliate links used inits publications, and to modify such publications accordingly.

FIG. 14 depicts a screen image of a user interface presenting thepublisher with widget apps utilizing the affiliate network advertiserlink URL and made available by the system of the present embodiment. Asshown, the system provides publishers with widgets for embedding in thepublisher's blog posts. For example, the depicted shopping widget is anembeddable iframe for incorporation into an HTML document to allowmultiple affiliate link URLs and corresponding advertiser or productimages to be scrolled horizontally, thereby saving document real estate.An image of the widget is provided 1402, along with the actual HTML code1404 that the publisher may copy-and-paste to add the depicted widgetfunctionality to its HTML document.

FIG. 15 depicts a screen image of a user interface presenting thepublisher with a bookmarking tool to facilitate automatic creation ofthe affiliate network advertiser link URL. In this embodiment, it ispossible for a publisher to select the bookmarking tool button 1502 andmerely drag the selected button 1502 to the publisher's web browserbookmark bar. In so doing, the bookmarking tool embeds JavaScriptfunctionality into the bookmark bar button that, on selection, initiatesthe affiliate network advertiser link URL creation described above.

After the bookmarking tool is embedded in the publisher's web browserbookmark bar, it may be used to trigger the functionality of theembodiment. If the publisher does not want to utilize the search productresult pre-selected and filtered links provided in FIG. 11, he or shemay browse advertiser affiliate websites to locate products. FIG. 16 isa screen image of an advertiser affiliate product webpage belonging toan advertiser affiliate 170 that is a member of an affiliate network 172that is accessible by the present embodiment. As an example, if apublisher were interested in blogging about the product depicted, he orshe would select the bookmarking button 1602 on the bookmark bar. In theinstance depicted, selection of the button 1602 would yield theinterface as depicted in FIG. 17.

FIG. 17 depicts a screen image of a user interface message box notifyingthe publisher that the advertiser affiliate webpage contains productinformation and that a record exists in the link generation server 120system database 180. As depicted, an iframe 1702 is presented to thepublisher, containing product data including an image of the product1704 and a button for obtaining an affiliate network advertiser link URL1706. Selection of the link button 1706 causes the link generationserver to produce, using the previously described algorithms, anaffiliate network advertiser link URL in text format that the publishercan copy-and-paste into a blog posting, a Tweet, Facebook posting, orsimilar social networking publication, with the goal that their postingwill generate interest in the product or advertiser by a reader of thepost who will then make a purchase that will generate a commissionpayment to the publisher. Alternatively, the publisher can publish thegenerated advertiser link URL directly to an external application, forexample, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumbler, or another such socialnetworking blog or application as shown. The publisher may also wish to“favorite” the generated link (see also FIG. 11, 1108) to save thegenerated link and associated product and webpage metadata in afavorites list or repository for subsequent review and use.

FIG. 18 depicts a screen image of a user interface message box notifyingthe publisher that the advertiser affiliate webpage 1802 is anon-product page for purposes of affiliate network advertiser linkcreation. Again, the link generation server 120 causes an iframe 1804 tobe presented in the publisher's web browser with such information. Eventhough the webpage is a non-product page, the publisher may still chooseto generate an affiliate network advertiser link URL 1806 to the page ormay simply keep browsing 1808 and return to the affiliate website. Thecreation of an affiliate network advertiser link URL 1806 affordsadditional web metrics for analytical purposes, and may even identifyaffiliates that may be of interest to other users.

FIG. 19 depicts a screen image of a user interface message box notifyingthe publisher that the advertiser affiliate product webpage informationdoes not exist in the system database, further requesting input from thepublisher regarding image selection for a new database record. Again,the link generation server 120 causes an iframe 1902 to be presented inthe publisher's web browser with such information. Because the recorddoes not exist in the database, the publisher is provided multipleimages of the product 1904, taken from the webpage data, and required toselect one as representative of the product. Once an image is selectedthe publisher is then presented with an interface like that in FIG. 20.

FIG. 20 depicts a screen image of a user interface message box notifyingthe publisher that the product webpage information has been scraped andis prepared to be added to the database along with the publisher-chosenproduct image. Again, the link generation server 120 causes an iframe2002 to be presented in the publisher's web browser, displaying theprepared product record information prior to saving the information inthe database 180. The publisher has the opportunity to enter a caption2004 to be included with the record. Once the publisher selects the savebutton 2006 the record is written to the database 180. A dynamicallycreated affiliate network advertiser link URL is also created 2008 aspreviously described, saved to the database, and made available to thepublisher for embedding in a publication.

FIG. 21 is a screen image of a user interface message box notifying thepublisher that the current advertiser website is not a member of anassociated affiliate network. If the publisher browses to a non-memberadvertiser website and attempts to select a product or non-product link,the link generation server 120 causes an iframe 2102 to be presented inthe publisher's web browser with a message that the advertiser is notsupported. This is so because non-member advertisers do not haveagreements in place regarding payment of commissions on producttransactions facilitated by the present disclosure.

FIG. 22 depicts a typical publisher blog utilizing the widget apps in anHTML document publication. As depicted, the blogger published images ofa product being worn 2202 along with the widget app described in FIG.14, namely, the scrolling carousel containing multiple affiliate networkadvertiser link URLs to the displayed products 2204. The goal of thepublisher is to entice another to investigate the available productlinks and to make a purchase by selecting an affiliate link 2204 to theadvertiser affiliate webpage and completing the transaction. In sodoing, the publisher earns a commission fee.

It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words andphrases used in this patent document. The term “couple” and itsderivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two ormore elements, whether or not those elements are in physical contactwith one another. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well asderivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term “or” isinclusive, meaning and/or. The phrases “associated with” and “associatedtherewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, beincluded within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within,connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperatewith, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have,have a property of, or the like.

As indicated above, aspects of this invention pertain to specificmethods implementable through various computer systems. In an alternateembodiment, the invention may be implemented as a computer programproduct for use with a computer system. Those skilled in the art shouldreadily appreciate that programs defining the function steps of thepresent invention can be delivered to a computer in many forms, whichinclude, but are not limited to: (a) information permanently stored onnon-writeable storage media (e.g. read only memory devices within acomputer such as ROMs or CD-ROM disks readable only by a computer I/Oattachment); (b) information alterably stored on writeable storage media(e.g. floppy disks and hard drives); or (c) information conveyed to acomputer through communication media, such as a local area network, atelephone network, or a public network like the Internet. It should beunderstood, therefore, that such media, when carrying computer readableinstructions that direct the method functions of the present invention,represent alternate embodiments of the present invention.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, the scope of theinvention is established by the appended claims rather than by theforegoing description. All changes that come within the meaning andrange of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to beembraced therein. Further, the recitation of method steps does notdenote a particular sequence for execution of the steps. Such methodsteps may therefore be performed in a sequence other than that recitedunless the particular claim expressly states otherwise.

We claim:
 1. A system for dynamic management of advertiser affiliatelinks for online marketing, the system comprising: a computerized globalredirect server in network communication with a web browser on a visitorcomputer, the global redirect server adapted to accept a request fromthe web browser that includes an affiliate network advertiser URL, andto return a webpage associated with the affiliate network advertiser URLthat is corrected for the visitor's geographic region.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the global redirect server is further adapted to locateand return a webpage for a product or non-product page comparable to aproduct or non-product webpage on the affiliate network advertiser URL,the comparable product or non-product webpage location based upon thegeographic region from which the web browser communicates.
 3. The systemof claim 1, wherein the global redirect server is further adapted tolocate and return a webpage for a product or non-product webpagecomparable to a product or non-product webpage on the affiliate networkadvertiser URL, the comparable product or non-product webpage locationbased upon web browser IP address.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein theglobal redirect server is further adapted to return a webpage associatedwith the affiliate network advertiser URL that is not corrected for thevisitor's geographic region.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein theglobal redirect server is further adapted to return a webpage associatedwith the requested affiliate network advertiser URL that is correctedfor the visitor's geographic region even if the advertiser is not amember of an affiliate network that is located within the visitor'sgeographic region.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the request isassociated with an advertiser's product and the link generation serveris further adapted to search for identical products in an affiliatenetwork located within the visitor's geographic region.
 7. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the request is associated with an advertiser'snon-product webpage and the link generation server is further adapted tosearch for an identical non-product webpage in an affiliate networklocated within the visitor's geographic region.
 8. The system of claim1, wherein the web browser request includes an advertiser productwebpage metadata and the global redirect server is further adapted tolocate an identical or substantially identical product and to track ananalytic or a commission even if no affiliate network advertiser URL forthe product exists.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the web browserrequest includes an advertiser non-product webpage metadata and theglobal redirect server is further adapted to locate an identical orsubstantially identical non-product webpage and to track an analytic ora commission even if no affiliate network advertiser URL for thenon-product webpage exists.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein theglobal redirect server is further adapted to locate an affiliate networkof which the advertiser associated with the affiliate network advertiserURL is a member and that is in the visitor's geographic region.
 11. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the global redirect server is further adaptedto provide substantially the same analytic or commission trackingcapability for an advertiser product or non-product webpage URL even foran advertiser that is not a member of an affiliate network within thevisitor's geographic region.
 12. A method for dynamic management ofadvertiser affiliate links for online marketing, the method stepscomprising: providing a network connected global redirect server adaptedto accept requests from a visitor's web browser; accepting a requestfrom the web browser for an advertiser webpage associated with anaffiliate network advertiser URL; determining the visitor's geographicregion based upon metadata supplied with the accepted request; andreturning to the web browser a webpage associated with the affiliatenetwork advertiser URL that is corrected for the determined geographicregion.
 13. The method of claim 12, the method steps further comprising:locating an affiliate network of which the advertiser is a member andthat is in the determined geographic region.
 14. The method of claim 12,wherein the supplied metadata includes the IP address of the visitor'scomputer, the method steps further comprising: performing an IP addresslookup using one or more domain name servers to ascertain geographicregion information of the requesting web browser.
 15. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the supplied metadata includes data regarding anadvertiser's product, the method steps further comprising: locating aproduct within the determined geographic region that is comparable tothe advertiser's product; and returning to the web browser a webpage forthe comparable product.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein the suppliedmetadata includes data regarding an advertiser's non-product webpage,the method steps further comprising: locating a non-product webpagewithin the determined geographic region that is comparable to theadvertiser's non-product webpage; and returning to the web browser awebpage for the comparable non-product webpage.
 17. The method of claim12, wherein the supplied metadata includes data regarding anadvertiser's product, the method steps further comprising: attempting tolocate a product within the determined geographic region that iscomparable to the advertiser's product; and returning to the web browsera webpage for the advertiser's product that is the subject of therequest.
 18. The method of claim 12, wherein the supplied metadataincludes data regarding an advertiser's non-product webpage, the methodsteps further comprising: attempting to locate a non-product webpagewithin the determined geographic region that is comparable to theadvertiser's non-product webpage; and returning to the web browser awebpage for the advertiser's non-product webpage that is the subject ofthe request.
 19. The method of claim 12, wherein the global redirectserver affords analytic or commission tracking even when no affiliatenetwork provided affiliate network advertiser link exists.